# Any of you biking Dopers Singlespeeders?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-of-you-biking-dopers-singlespeeders/308287>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 14, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-of-you-biking-dopers-singlespeeders/308287 "2005-06-14T23:04:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-of-you-biking-dopers-singlespeeders/308287/21 "2005-06-28T00:37:25Z")

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from my limited understanding of fixies, it’s not that they’re “dangerous”, just different, especially to a rider used to a freewheel bike

on a freewheel bike (SS and Gearies) the rear wheel can turn and the pedals do not turn, i.e., you can coast and backpedal

on a fixie, whenever the rear wheel is in motion, the pedals are moving, there is no way to coast on a fixie

if a rider used to a freewheel rides a fixie and attempts to coast, the pedals may lift him off the seat, worst case scenario, he might crash, until he’s comfortable with emergency maneuvers on a fixie, he should stay out of traffic for his own safety

many SS’ers and Fixie riders equip their bikes with a “flip-flop” rear wheel, it has a fixed gear cog on one side of the hub, and a freewheel hub on the other, so they can ride what feels more comfortable, a fixie on the flats/in races, and a freewheel on hilly roads that require coasting down hills

i’m still a newbie at the whole SS/Fixie thing myself, so i _could_ be wrong…

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